US Finance Manager

Role overview:

The finance team is seeking a dynamic Finance Manager to contribute to a rapidly growing organization. As a Finance Manager, you’ll work to record and reconcile finance/accounting activity while playing an integral role in improving and optimizing our processes. We’re looking for someone with an endless drive for improvement, a solutions oriented mindset, an ability to deliver high-quality accounting on tight deadlines, and the flexibility to adapt to quickly changing needs while being highly detail-oriented. Qualified applicants should be strong analytical thinkers, have a superb understanding of the U.S. GAAP, be knowledgeable of best practices and be an excellent communicator. For this role we are searching for candidates with 3 -5 years of experience, preferably within public accounting or a notable nonprofit/startup.

About GiveDirectly:

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.

GD has raised over $400m since launching in 2011 and delivered cash in 9 countries to more than 250,000 families . We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement and GD’s leading role within it have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

Across our global offices, our culture is candid, analytical, non-hierarchical, and fast-paced. We value ability, adaptability, and willingness to learn. We offer competitive salary and benefits, as well as performance-based bonuses.

What you’ll be doing:

1. Manage end to end accounting and tracking against monthly close calendar, including book-keeping and presentation of monthly reports (10-15 % of role )
2. Approved AP via Anybill and ensure accuracy of GL coding (5%)
3. Producing ad hoc reconciliations/reports to resolve issues and execute bookkeeping journal entries on a timely basis. (10-15% of role)
4. Reconciling the major U.S. and UK bank accounts (5-10%)
5. Proactively engage with vendors and GD team to ensure accurate and timely pay cycles. (5% of role)
6. Prepare monthly investment and revenue entries and reconciliations (5%)
7. Prepare Annual Global Audit schedules, US federal programmatic audits and production of year-end financial statements. (5 % of role)
8. Assist with tax reporting and compliance with other tax and statutory requirements, such as the Form 990 and state registrations. (5 % of role)
9. Lead budget to actual variance analyses for senior management and other stakeholders. (10 % of role)
10. Monthly Balance Sheet Review (10-15%)
11. Develop and function as a subject matter expert on Intacct reporting and capabilities (10%)
12. Collaborate with Finance team members to maintain, scale and implement financial processes, policies, and controls, working cross functionally with teams such as Field and Fundraising. Identify areas for improvements and maintain documentation, while providing technical and systems assistance and oversight. (10% of role)

What you should have:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or equivalent practical experience
• 3 – 5 years of professional experience in accounting or finance, preferably within a Big 4 accounting firm or startup or nonprofit environment.
• Experience in financial analyses and understanding of GAAP and accounting principles and best practices, preferably experience with running audits of similar sized nonprofit.
• Strong technical skills in Excel and financial & accounting software (e.g. Intacct, Netsuite, QuickBooks).
• A preference for a fast-paced, start-up work environment.
• A willingness to give and receive direct, honest feedback.
• Ability to meet deadlines and handle heavy workload with minimal supervision, self-starter with keen eye to detail and desire to continuously improve.
• Collaborative working style, and ability to work with vendors and international teams
• Willingness to be a proactive team member in nourishing a positive and productive culture
• Sage Intacct experience a plus
• CPA or CPA track a plus

GD Values:

• Recipients first.

We prioritize recipient preferences over those of donors or ourselves.

We do not impose our preferences, or judgments, on the beneficiaries; instead we respect and empower them to make their own choices, elevating their voices in the global aid debate. This value is core to GiveDirectly’s identity as the first organization exclusively devoted to putting the poor in control of how aid money is spent. It comes at a potential cost, as it means that neither we nor donors get to set priorities (and we may even lose some “efficiency” in providing this option).

• Team next.

We do what’s best for organizational – not individual – success.

This is a team sport, where we will succeed (or fail) together. The best players are not those with the best individual statistics, but those with biggest impact on our overall performance. We avoid territoriality, self-promotion, and I’m above this attitudes.

• Be proactively candid.

We say what we believe, and are honest in sharing information.

Having confidence that other people are telling us what they truly believe, without gloss or omission, is critical to effective communication and to our ability to learn and grow from feedback. We owe it to each other – and our donors – to instill this confidence even though giving and receiving information candidly are unusual in both professional and social life, and can be very uncomfortable.

• Create positive energy

We strive to be a source – not drain – of energy for our colleagues.

Our work is hard, practically and emotionally, and we cannot overemphasize the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, enjoying the company of our colleagues, and not taking ourselves too seriously. In doing so, we aspire to generate energy and excitement amongst our colleagues in pursuing our mission. This should not preclude candor, and we aspire to achieve both.

• Think rigorously; act quickly.

We are intellectually rigorous with a drive towards action – not debate.

We reason from first principles, grounding our decisions in objective claims about the world, rather than hard-to-disprove assertions or hierarchy. We aim to brainstorm inclusively and respectfully, but critically self-vet ideas we put forward, so as to ensure productive and prudent decision making.

Demanding this level of rigor forces us to think harder about decisions and our assumptions than we otherwise might. This is a real cost. It can be taken too far: it is possible to overthink decisions, and we avoid debate for the sake of debate. We are not here to philosophize or ensure consensus. We decide and act quickly, avoiding getting bogged down in debates.

• Accept reality. Propose solutions.

We do not dwell on problems. We work actively to create solutions.

There will always be an endless list of things to improve. We focus on the things that can be changed; find the most important of those things, and propose actionable answers. We do not allow “problems” to weigh us down and be a source of negativity. We are forward looking, which we believe not only leads to better team outcomes, but also creates a more enjoyable, energizing environment for all.

• Be productively ambitious.

We take the risks to pursue industry-changing success, not incremental progress.

We seek step-change improvements at all levels, and are willing to make big-bets; we do not accept complacency nor do we simply optimize existing processes. In doing so, we allow ourselves to dream big with a belief that perceived constraints are merely opportunities for creativity.

Such ambition not only requires hard work (i.e., this is not a 9-5 job), but also a willingness to accept and learn from temporary setbacks and failures. In accepting these failures, we’re conscious to not point fingers, nor obsess over “mistakes” made.

• Know yourself and grow.

We recognize and accept our imperfections with a focus on growth.

We are an organization of exceptional people and trust in each other’s abilities, yet we recognize that none of us is perfect. We strive to maintain an accurate understanding of our individual and institutional strengths and weaknesses, in order to position ourselves to maximize our chances of success.

At the same time, we seek personal growth for ourselves and our teammates. Feedback is given with a spirit of helpfulness, and sought out with a desire to learn.

*GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” *and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**